Fish community structure of the middle course of the Bečva River

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1 Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Original Paper Fish community structure of the middle course of the Bečva River J. I. N, P. S Institute of Fisheries and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno, Czech Republic ABSTRACT: Fish communities of the Bečva River were studied in summer and autumn 2000 and Electric fishing gear (Honda EX 1000, DC 230 V, kw) was used for sampling. Four sampling sites (Grymov 19.6 r. km, Rybáře 35.8 r. km, Hustopeče 50.7 and Choryně 54.7 r. km) were selected. Total of 23 fish species representing 5 families were determined. The family Cyprinidae with 15 species was dominant while Salmonidae, Balitoridae, Percidae and Gadidae were the other recorded families. Species diversity ranged from 9 at Hustopeče to 20 at Grymov localities. The lowest biomass and abundance were observed at Hustopeče locality (28.93 kg/ha and 336 fishes/ha) and the highest at Choryně locality ( kg/ha and fishes/ha). Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus and Leuciscus cephalus contributed % and 60.5% 87% to total biomass and abundance in different samplings, respectively. The Chondrostoma nasus population was dominated by fish of total length over 300 mm. We believe that river fragmentation, trapping and blockade of fish are the main reasons for this irregular distribution. Index of diversity ranged from to 2.05 and equitability index from to Physical and chemical parameters were also measured, ph value ranged from 7.8 to 9.8, DO ( mg/l), conductivity ( µs/cm), N-NH 4 ( mg/l), P-PO 4 ( mg/l) and alkalinity (2.55 to 3.40 mg/l). Keywords: weirs; fish species; Bečva River; Czech Republic Rivers are dynamic open systems with interactive pathways along three dimensions: longitudinal, lateral, vertical. Humans have impacted one or more of these dimensions and exerted stresses to the river ecosystems. Studies of some large European rivers such as Danube (Bacalbasa-Dobrovici, 1989), Rhine (Lelek, 1989), and Volga (Pavlov and Ya Vilenkin, 1989) describe the extent of these impacts. Pe s et al. (1989) studied the history of European river development and demonstrated the anthropogenic impacts on riverine fish communities. The structure of fish communities in rivers changed considerably during the last century. Many longdistance migratory fish species disappeared from river systems and tolerant eurytopic species dominate at the expense of specialist rheophilic and limnophilic species (Bacalbasa-Dobrovici, 1989; Lelek, 1989). Important causes of decline are migratory barriers and loss of habitat. Oliva (1952) studied fish species at Lipník nad Bečvou. Kupka (1966) carried out a detailed ichthyological study on the Vsetínská Bečva. Princ (1882) reviewed fish species of the Bečva River at Valašské Meziříčí reach and in recent years Hohausová et al. (1996) accomplished similar studies. Spurný et al. (2000) studied the Bečva River from river km at 4 localities to evaluate disturbances of fish communities caused by cormorant invasion. In this study effects of weirs and river fragmentation on fish communities will be assessed. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was conducted in summer and autumn in 2000 and The Bečva River originates at an elevation of about 288 m above sea level as a confluent of Vsetínská Bečva and Rožnovská Bečva and flowing km drains into the Morava River at 195 m above sea level (Bulíček, 1972). The watershed area of the river is km 2 and average annual discharge 17.5 m 3 /sec (Vlček 43

2 Original Paper Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Morava River Rybáře (35.8 r. km) Bečva River Grymov (19.6 r. km) Hustopeče (50.7 r. km) Choryně (54.7 r. km) Figure 1. Study area of the Bečva River and sampling sites et al., 1984). Four sampling sites (Grymov 19.6 r. km, Rybáře 35.8 r. km, Hustopeče 50.7 r. km and Choryně 54.7 r. km) were selected (Figure 1). The riverbed at Grymov (1st sampling site) is 17 m in width with ca. 12 m usually under water. In the period of low water flow a small land mass occurs in the middle of this site. Water depth is up to 80 cm. The bo om structure is heterogeneous, built of sand and small pebbles. Deciduous trees (alder, willow, bushes) are dominants in riparian vegetation. Rybáře (2nd sampling site) is m in width and both banks are covered with deciduous trees. Water depth is up to 170 cm. The bo om structure consists of silt to small stones. Hustopeče (3rd sampling site) is a shallow stream with cm depth and m width. The bo om structure is homogeneous containing pebbles and small stones. Riverbank vegetation is composed of willow, alder and poplar. Choryně (4th sampling site) is cm in depth and about 45 m regulated channel width with m under water. The bo om structure is heterogeneous with particles ranging from silt to large stones. There are six weirs at the studied course of the river: Osek nad Bečvou weir (ca river km) with 3.2 m height of dike, 36 m length and m 3 capacity; Lipník nad Bečvou weir (ca river km) with 4.5 m height of dike and 92 m length; Hranice weir (38.3 river km) with 5 m height of dike, 32 m length and m 3 capacity; a hydropower generation unit at 45.5 river km with 55 m length and 0.8 m height of dike and two small weirs located between the 49th and 50th river km. An electrofishing gear (Honda EX 1000, DC 230 V; kw) was used for sampling. One-run and Table 1. Overview of fishing efforts in different localities of the Bečva River Sampling site Date Time Water temperature ( C) Covered area (m 2 ) Number of caught fishes Number of species : Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

3 Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Original Paper two-run methods were applied for summer and autumn samplings, respectively. The study was qualitative in summer and quantitative in autumn. In summer samplings only species, abundance and total length (TL) and in autumn samplings total length (TL), standard length (SL), height and width (to the nearest 1 mm), weight (to the nearest 1 g) of all collected fish were measured and biomass was determined. Fishing data is presented in Table 1. Portable equipment (Hanna-H C) was used to measure water temperature, ph and Hanna-H equipment was used to determine conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentration (DO). Values of N-NH 4, N-NO 3, N-NO 2, P-PO 4, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and alkalinity were determined in the laboratory using standard analytical methods. Shannon and Weaver (1963) index of diversity (H ) and Sheldon (1969) index of equitability (E) were used to estimate the prosperity and stability of the whole fish community in the studied reach. RESULTS A total of 23 fish species representing 5 families: Cyprinidae, Salmonidae, Balitoridae, Percidae and Gadidae (Table 2) were recorded. Of these 23 fish species three species are not native of the Bečva River (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Pseudorasbora parva and Carassius auratus). The family Cyprinidae with 15 species was a dominant family. Species diversity ranged from 9 at Hustopeče to 20 species at Grymov sampling sites. The eight species Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus, Leuciscus cephalus, Alburnus alburnus, Alburnoides bipunctatus, Leuciscus leuciscus, Gobio gobio and Barbatula barbatula were present in all sampling sites (Table 2). The Choryně sampling site showed the highest abundance in 3 samplings with fishes/ha and the Grymov sampling site in 4 samplings with fishes/ha (Table 3). The lowest abundance was observed at the Hustopeče sampling site in summer 2001 with only 334 fishes/ha. Based on fish abundance, the sampling sites are categorized in descending order: Choryně, Grymov, Rybáře and Hustopeče. The highest biomass was also obtained at the Choryně site with 613 kg/ha and the lowest at the Hustopeče sampling site with 29 kg/ha (Table 3). The three species Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus and Leuciscus cephalus contributed 87.73% 97.55% to total biomass in different samplings. Maximum Vertical bars denote 0.95 confidence intervals Ch. nasus B. barbus L. cephalus 350 Total length (mm) Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Locality Figure 2. Total length (TL) distribution of three fish species in the Bečva River 45

4 Original Paper Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Table 2. Dominance (%) of fish species of the Bečva River in the summer and autumn seasons of 2000 and 2001 Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Species S A S A S A S A S A S A S A S A Salmo tru a m. fario Oncorhynchus mykiss 0.33 Thymallus thymallus Rutilus rutilus Leuciscus leuciscus Leuciscus cephalus Phoxinus phoxinus 0.16 Leucaspius delineatus Tinca tinca Chondrostoma nasus Pseudorasbora parva Gobio gobio Gobio kessleri Barbus barbus Alburnus alburnus Alburnoides bipunctatus Abramis brama Vimba vimba Carassius auratus 0.21 Barbatula barbatula Lota lota 0.68 Perca fluviatilis Sander lucioperca

5 Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Original Paper Table 3. Index of diversity, equitability and the abundance of fish community of the Bečva River Date Sampling site Index of diversity Index of equitability Abundance* (fishes/ha) Biomass* (kg/ha) Grymov S A S A Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně *the values of abundance and biomass are based on 100% catch efficiency individual biomass of these three species was kg/ha (Choryně), kg/ha (Grymov) and kg/ha (Rybáře), respectively. Cumulative dominance of these three species was 60.5% 87% of the total abundance. Index of diversity (H ) ranged from (Hustopeče) to (Grymov) and index of equitability from (Hustopeče) to at the Grymov sampling site (Table 3). Total length (TL) distribution of three dominant species is given in Figure 2. Physical and chemical parameters of water are presented in Table 4. DISCUSSION Many researchers have studied fish communities in the Bečva River. Hohausová et al. (1996) reported 14 species from the upper course and Spurný et al. (2000) reported 23 fish species from the lower course of the Bečva River. Contrary to Hohausová et al. (1996) the two species Co us gobio and C. poecilopus and to Spurný et al. (2000) the 6 species Carassius carassius, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, Aspius aspius, Anguilla anguilla, Esox lucius and Cyprinus carpio were not observed in the middle course of the river. Dominance of Barbus barbus at all sampling sites together with Leuciscus cephalus and Chondrostoma nasus documents that the investigated course of the Bečva River is a typical barbel zone. Brown trout (Salmo tru a m. fario) and Thymallus thymallus, typical upstream species, were sporadically observed at this river section. Three rheophilic species (Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus and Leuciscus cephalus) were present in all sampling sites and dominated fish communities by abundance and biomass throughout the study with 60% 86.5% contributions to total abundance and 87.73% 97.55% to total biomass. Predatory species represented by Oncorhynchus mykiss, Perca fluviatilis and Sander lucioperca did not have a significant part in the fish community of the Bečva River and were caught sporadically. Tinca tinca and Carassius auratus as the most tolerant species (Nikolski, 1961) occurred only once at the Grymov sampling site and probably entered the river from fisheries ponds located in the vicinity 47

6 Original Paper Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Table 4. Physical and chemical parameters of the middle course of the Bečva River in this study Year Sampling site E.C. (µs/cm) ph DO N-NH 4 N-NO 3 N-NO 2 P-PO 4 COD Alk. Grymov S A S A Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně Grymov Rybáře Hustopeče Choryně of the Bečva River. Abramis brama, Perca fluviatilis, Rutilus rutilus and Sander lucioperca, typical eurytopic species, were very rare at the studied localities. A promising fact was frequent occurrence of Gobio kessleri, an endangered species at the Grymov and Choryně sampling sites. The length distribution of three important species that is shown in Figure 2 suggests that Barbus barbus and Leuciscus cephalus are less affected by river regulation compared to Chondrostoma nasus, which shows irregular length distribution and being a typical migratory species, it seems weirs can hamper its successful reproduction. Holčík (2001) reported 446 km as the longest migratory distance for Chondrostoma nasus in European rivers. Considering the existence of 5 weirs and one with almost 5-meter dike height it is unlikely that Chondrostoma nasus could further migrate upstream for reproduction. Lusková et al. (1997) explained a decrease in the nase (Chondrostoma nasus) population by destruction of riverine habitat including barriers and pollution. Holčík (2001) also stated that the weir constructions blocked upstream and downstream migrations, reduced stock recruitment and population density of species having the spawning ground upstream from dams. The lowest diversity (9 species) and the smallest individual size of fish (Table 2, Figure 2) were observed at the Hustopeče locality. The homogeneous bo om structure of this locality is the main reason, which is in agreement with Parasiewicz et al. (1998), who stated that low diversity of stream structure could be a reason for low species diversity in a river system and Jungwirth et al. (1993), who stressed that the reduction of riverbed complexity was responsible for the decrease in both benthos and fish fauna stock density. Index of diversity at monitored localities ranged from to and index of equitability from to Shannon index (H ) is the value that combines species diversity and evenness where >3.99 is considered as non-impacted; , slightly impacted; , moderately impacted; and <2.00, severely impacted (Bode et al., 1993). Based on this category the studied reach of the Bečva River is categorized as moderately to severely impacted. 48

7 Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Original Paper Water quality of the Bečva River improved from highly and extremely polluted water (Bulíček, 1972) to polluted water in 1995 ( Most physical and chemical parameters did not exceed admissible levels, ph values slightly shifted toward alkalinity. Only the values of nitrites at Grymov and Rybáře localities and concentration of P-PO 4 slightly exceeded the standard limits indicating progressive anthropogenic impacts and euthrophication risk of the monitored course of the river. High values of COD (chemical oxygen demand) at the Rybáře site in summer 2000 and 2001 are due to the presence of point sources of pollution. CONCLUSION The monitored reach of the Bečva River is inhabited by typical fish species of the barbel zone. The actual fish community of the studied course of the Bečva River consists of 23 species from 5 families. Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus and Leuciscus cephalus are dominant species by their number and biomass. The frequent occurrence of Gobio kessleri, which was reported for the first time in the 50s of the last century (Oliva, 1952), was important from ecological aspects in this study. A single specimen of this species was reported by Jurajda et al. (1996). Later on Lusk et al. (2000) and Spurný et al. (2000) reported its presence in the Bečva River. A repeated catch of this fish species in our study is a sign of successful establishment of the species in the river. The fish size structure is relatively balanced except for Chondrostoma nasus, which indicates progressive ageing of its population (individuals with TL over 300 mm are dominant). The weir construction and longitudinal regulation of the Bečva River and subsequent disturbances of its natural hydrologic regime are considered the main reason for this situation, which coincides with Holčík and Macura (2001). REFERENCES Bacalbasa-Dobrovici N. (1989): The Danube River and its fisheries In: Dodge D.P. (ed.): Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium (LARS). Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat., 106. Bode R.W., Novak M.A., Abele L.E. (1993): 20 year trends in water quality of rivers and streams in New York State based on macroinvertebrate data, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany N.Y. 217 pp. Bulíček J. (1972): Povrchové vody v Československu a jejich ochrana. Academia, Praha. 354 pp. Hohausová E., Jurajda P., Prášek V. (1996): Fish assemblage of the River Vsetínská Bečva Basin. Acta Univ. Carol. Biol., 40, Holčik J. (2001): The impact of stream regulation upon the fish fauna and measures to prevent it. Ekológia, 20, Holčik J., Macura V. (2001): Some problems with the interpretation of the impacts of stream regulations upon the fish community. Ekológia, 20, Jungwirth M., Moog O., Muhar S. (1993): Effects of riverbed restructuring on fish and of a fi h order stream, Melk Austria, regulated rivers. Res. Mngmnt, 8, Jurajda P., Ráb P., Šlechta V., Šlechtová V. (1996): Occurrence and identification of Kessler s gudgeon (Gobio kessleri) in the Bečva River (Czech Republic). Folia Zool., 45, 3. Kupka J. (1966): Průzkum Horní Bečvy (Vsetínské). Bull. VÚRH Vodňany, č. 2, Lelek A. (1989): The Rhine river and some of its tributaries under human impact in the last two centuries In: Dodge D.P. (ed.): Proceedings of the Int. Large River Symp. (LARS). Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat., 106. Lusk S., Lusková V., Halačka K., Lojkásek B., Horák V. (2000): Hrouzci v rybích společenstvech volných vod ČR. In: Sborník referatů IV. České Ichthyol. Konf., Vodňany, Lusková V., Šlechtová V., Povž M., Šlechta V., Lusk S. (1997): Genetic variability of Chondrostoma nasus in rivers of the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea drainage systems. Folia Zool., 46 (Suppl. 1), Nikolski G.V. (1961): Ekologia ryb (in Russian). Vyd. Vys. Škola, Moskva. 336 pp. Oliva O. (1952): Příspěvek k poznání rybí fauny Bečvy. Přírodovědný sborník ostravského kraje, č. 13, Pavlov D.S., Ya Vilenkin B. (1989): Present state of the environment, biota, and fisheries of the Volga River In: Dodge D.P. (ed.): Proceedings of the Int. Large River Symp. (LARS). Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat., 106. Parasiewicz P., Schmutz S., Moog O. (1998): The effect of managed hydropower peaking on the physical habitat, benthos and fish fauna in the River Bregenzerach in Austria. Fish. Manage Ecol., 5, Pe s G.E., Imhof J.G., Manny B.A., Maher J.F.B., Weisberg S.B. (1989): Management of fish populations in large rivers: a review of tools and approaches In: 49

8 Original Paper Czech J. Anim. Sci., 49, 2004 (1): Dodge D.P. (ed.): Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium (LARS). Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat., 106. Princ V. (1882): Ryby v Bečvě u Valašskeho Meziříčí. Vesmír, IX, Shannone C.E., Weaver W. (1963): The mathematical theory of communities. Univ. of Illinois Press, Urbana. Sheldon A.L. (1969): Equitability indices: dependence on species count. Ecology, 50, Spurný P., Mareš J., Fiala J. (2000): Species diversity of the ichthyocenosis of the lower course of the Bečva River (in Czech with English summary). Biodiverzite ichthyofauny ČR (III), Vlček V., Kestřánek J., Kříž H., Novotný S., Píše J. (1984): Zeměpisný Lexikon ČSR. Vodní toky a nádrže. Academia, Praha. 315 pp. Received: Accepted a er corrections: ABSTRAKT Stav rybího společenstva na středním toku Bečvy V letních a podzimních obdobích let 2000 a 2001 bylo prováděno terénní sledování stavu rybího společenstva středního toku řeky Bečvy, který se vyznačuje přerušovanou biologickou kontinuitou a kolísavým průtokovým režimem v důsledku výstavby několika jezů, na nichž jsou provozovány malé vodní elektrárny. Ichtyologický průzkum probíhal pomocí elektrolovu (agregát Honda EX 1000) na čtyřech lokalitách mezi obcemi Grymov a Choryně (Grymov ř. km 19,6, Rybáře ř. km 35,8, Hustopeče ř. km 50,7 a Choryně ř. km 54,7). Kvantitativní (abundance, biomasa) a kvalitativní (druhová dominance, diverzita a ekvitabilita) parametry rybího společenstva byly hodnoceny s využitím základních ichtyologických metod. V rámci sledování kvality vodního prostředí bylo prováděno měření ph, koncentrace rozpuštěného kyslíku, vodivosti, koncentrace N-NH 4, N-NO 3, N-NO 2, P-PO 4, kyselinové neutralizační kapacity a chemické spotřeby kyslíku dichromanem. Cílem tohoto sledování bylo zachycení aktuálního stavu rybího společenstva s ohledem na vodohospodářské úpravy a využití toku a získání údajů o ekologické stabilitě ichtyocenózy před zprovozněním průmyslového komplexu firmy Philips v Hranicích na Moravě. Ve sledovaném říčním úseku byla zjištěna přítomnost 23 druhů ryb z 5 čeledí. Druhy cejn velký, lín obecný, karas stříbřitý, pstruh duhový, candát obecný a mník jednovousý byly zachyceny jen po jednom exempláři. Nejpočetněji byla zastoupena čeleď kaprovitých s 15 druhy. Druhová diverzita kolísala od 9 (Hustopeče) po 20 (Grymov) zjištěných druhů. Nejnižší abundance (336 ks/ha) a biomasa (28,93 kg/ha) rybího společenstva byla zjištěna na lokalitě Hustopeče, nejvyšší hodnota abundance (7 367 ks/ha) a biomasy (612,90 kg/ha) na lokalitě Choryně. Parma obecná, ostroretka stěhovavá, jelec tloušť, ouklej obecná a ouklejka pruhovaná s abundancí 4 002, 812, 1 429, a ks/ha představovali druhy s nejvyšší početnostní dominancí. Na lokalitě Grymov bylo uloveno 5 exemplářů hrouzka Kesslerova, který je vyhláškou MŽP č. 395/1992 Sb. zařazen mezi kriticky ohrožené druhy, ve dvou exemplářích byl tento druh zjištěn také na lokalitě Choryně. Nejvyšší hodnota biomasy parmy obecné (414,89 kg/ha) byla zaznamenána na lokalitě Choryně, ostroretky stěhovavé (174,53 kg/ha) a jelce tlouště (65,70 kg/ha) na lokalitě Grymov. Uvedené druhy tvořily 87,73 97,55 % biomasy a 60,5 87,0 % abundance celého rybího společenstva. Zastoupení délkových kategorií (TL) jedinců druhových populací parmy obecné, jelce tlouště a ostroretky stěhovavé může signalizovat začínající ekologické narušení populace (stárnutí) ostroretky stěhovavé. Tento stav může být u místní populace způsoben právě dlouhodobým přerušením biologické kontinuity říčního toku vodními stavbami, znemožňujícími delší reprodukční migrace. Index diverzity rybího společenstva (H ) se na jednotlivých lokalitách pohyboval v rozmezí 0,811 2,050 a ndex ekvitability (E) mezi 0,449 0,821. Sledované kvalitativní parametry vodního prostředí dosahovaly v případě ph hodnot 7,8 9,8, rozpuštěného kyslíku 7,62 12,15 mg/l, vodivosti µs/cm, N-NH 4 0,65 2,39 mg/l, P-PO 4 0,12 0,68 mg/l a kyselinové neutralizační kapacity (alkalita) 2,55 3,40 mg/l. Klíčová slova: vodní stavby; rybí společenstvo; diverzita; řeka Bečva; Česká republika Corresponding Author Doc. Ing. Petr Spurný, CSc., Mendelova zemědělská a lesnická univerzita, Zemědělská 1, Brno, Česká republika Tel , fishery@mendelu.cz 50